Automobile body construction



P 7 K. CHILDS AILITOMOBILE BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed April 50, 1923 2 sheets-sheet, 1

Y mlentam 17212116166 .5 Cfiz% Sept. 6, 1927.

K. L. CHILDS AUTOMOBILE BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed Abril 30'. 1925 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UltlTED STATES PTENT FFICE.

KENNETH L. CHILDS, 035 DETROIT, MICHIGAII, ASSIGNOR TO THE FABRIC BODY COR- PORATION, OF DETRGIT. MICHIGAN, A CORFEORATION OF MICHIGAN.

AUTOMOBILE BODY CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed April 30, 1923. Serial No. 635,583.

This invention relates to automobile body construction and more particularly to the exterior wall construction.

In my Patent No. 1,579,466, dated April 6, 1926, I have described a panel construction which comprises panels made up of separate frames and a covering material stretched thereover. In this application I am describing a form of construct-ion in which I use plural plywood board as the foundation material over which the leather cloth is stretched.

The plural ply board offers .some advantages which are notpresent in my prior construction, namely strength and flexibility.

A further object of my invention is to provide a composite foundation material which possesses suflicient tensile strength to protect the panel construction from injury. This composite construction will also help to reinforce the body construction and to add to the flexible qualities of the design.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation-of an automobile with my improved body construction.

Fig. 2 is a section through a panel.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. f is a section on the line ir-4E of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is asection on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a panel framewith the composite materials partly in section secured thereon.

In the assembling of this form of con struction I proceed as follows: First I secure a. wire mesh 10 to the panel as shown in Fig. 3, and superimposed over the wire mesh is a three-ply wood board panel a which is secured to the panel frame 7) by suitable nails 0. Over this I stretch the finishing material designated (Z and secure the same to the edges of the panel frame by suitable nails 6 to holdthe finishing material under tension and in contact with the outer surface of the 3 ply panel board. The fact that this finishing material is stretched over the foundation material and held under tension by tacking it to the frame adjacent the peripheral edges of the said finishing material will eliminate wrinkling and provide a practical construction. It is not new to use a finishing cloth overlying an automobile body by cementing the said finishing cloth over substantially the entire metal surface of an automobile. Due to the variation intemperature and humidlty of the atmosphere, the finishing material and the foundation material which have different ratios of expansion and contraction, will expand and contract so'that if the finishing material is cemented to the foundation material it will wrinkle under these conditions. By stretching the finishing material and securing the same under tension to the panel frame only at the peripheral edges the differences in the ratios of contraction and expansion will not wrinkle or crack the eX t-erior finish of my construction.

- This form of panel construction'can be detachably secured to the skeleton frame of an automobile body as described and claimed in my patent above referred to.

In Figs. 4 to- 6 inclusive I show sections of how the complete panels may be assembled onto the skeleton body frame; referring more particularly to Figs. 5 and 6, I show an angle upright bar 9 secured to the skeleton frame it of the body by screws i. i The rear panel frame is secured to the angle bar 9 by means of screws m and the next adjacent panel frame 11. is provided with pins 0 adapted to fit into recesses p carried by the panel frame 70. These steps may be carried throughout in assembling the panel frame onto the skeleton frame and since this method is described in detail in my patent above referred to, it need not be described here in full detail.

The plies of the 3-ply board are comparatively thin and are glued or cemented together in the usual manner of making a 3 ply panel board having the grain of the wood of the center ply running at right angles to the grain of the wood in 2 outside plies thereby giving a strength to the 3 ply panel board that is an essential characteristic needed in my construction. In building these separate panels which are detachably mounted upon the main skeleton frame, I first construct the side panel frames to substantially conform to the contours of the body design. The 3 ply panel board which is secured to this panel has sufficient flexibility to conform to the curvature of the body contour but yet has suflicient rigidity to maintain a permanent shape When once formed.

In addition to the above mentioned advantages, the 3-ply board used as a foundation material is yieldable and flexible. The panel will give under ordinary stress and Will spring back to its original position when the stresses are removed. The covering material Which I use to form the exterior finish for the wall construction is preferably that knoWn on the market as Meritas leather cloth, a highly polished and Waterproof fabric which readily lends itself to my particular body construction. The leather cloth is yieldable and Will give when the panels are placed under any strain and it is capable of being stretched over the panel and tacked to the panel when in a stretched condition. This leather cloth is a Waterproof and high lustre material. It protects the 3-ply Wood board from the moisture of the atmosphere Which would be otherwise liable to loosen the joint between the plies.

As in my patent, this panel construction lends itself to replacements of broken or marred panels by new ones Without requiring much labor or refinishing of the Whole job.

Obviously the wire mesh could be left out of my panel construction and comparatively good results can be obtained. I preferably use the Wire mesh in order to give the desired strength to the panels Which When secured to the skeleton frame of an auto- 7 mobile tend to brace and reinforce the Whole body.

What I claim is:

1. Inan automobile body construction, the combination of a skeleton frame, and

an exterior Wall construction secured to the skeleton frame and comprising a layer of Wood panel board With an exterior layer of finishing fabric stretched thereover and secured under tension thereon by fastening means applied only adjacent the peripheral edges of the finishing fabric.

2. In an automobile body construction, the combination of a skeleton frame, a Wire mesh secured to the frame, a layer of 3 ply panel board overlying said Wire mesh and secured to the frame, and a layer of flexible finishing material stretched thereover and held under tension thereon by securing the peripheral edges only of the finishing material to the frame.

3. An automobile body construction hava plurality of panel frames detachably 'se-.

cured to the skeleton frame, each panel frame having a Wire mesh secured thereto,

a layer of 3 ply panel board overlying the Wire mesh and a layer of flexible and Waterproof finishing material stretched over the panel boardand secured to the panel frame only at the peripheral edges thereof.

In testimony'vvhereof he has affixed his signature.

KENNETH L. oniiins. V 

